KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has done everything it can to address the recurring transboundary haze issue, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"We have done everything we possibly can," he said when asked about calls for the government to take a firmer stance towards Indonesia over the haze.
Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin had called for a tougher approach towards Indonesia, as well as legislation to hold Malaysian plantation companies accountable if they were found responsible for forest fires and haze.
On Oct 8, Anwar contacted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who agreed to take the necessary steps to address the fires.
Anwar said the Foreign Ministry and the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry had also contacted their Indonesian counterparts to discuss the issue.
Malaysia has also stepped up cloud-seeding operations to improve air quality in affected areas.
Yesterday, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Malaysia and Indonesia had begun discussions on possible joint action to tackle forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra, which have caused haze to spread across the region.
He said the discussions involved relevant agencies and ministries from both countries, including the National Disaster Management Agency, the Foreign Ministry and the National Security Council.
Mohamad added that Malaysia would raise the transboundary haze issue at an Asean foreign ministers' meeting ahead of the bloc's 49th Summit in Manila next month, to explore more effective regional mechanisms to address the problem.
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